Blessy upset by Ashutosh Gowariker’s U-turn on Aadujeevitham after Nat Awards: ‘He compared it to Lawrence of Arabia’

Director Blessy’s Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role, was recently overlooked at the National Film Awards, not receiving a single award in any category. In an interview with OnManorama, the director expressed his disappointment and confusion about why Ashutosh Gowariker snubbed the survival film when he previously compared it to Lawrence of Arabia (1962). (Also Read: Urvashi slams National Award jury for giving her award in supporting category: ‘This is not pension to silently accept’)

Blessy calls out Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘double standards’

Blessy spoke to the publication and revealed that Ashutosh had previously praised Aadujeevitham, making him upset that he was claiming it had technical shortcomings now. He claimed that the filmmakers spoke when they screened the film in Mumbai during the Oscars campaign and that Ashutosh had spoken about it ‘highly’.

He even recollected that Ashutosh had compared Aadujeevitam to Lawrence of Arabia, stating that he hadn’t seen a ‘film portray a desert so beautifully’ since then. Blessy said, “If someone appreciated the film in such detail before, how can they dismiss it on technical grounds? This seems like double standards.” The filmmaker also claimed that he was invited to lunch with Ashutosh, which he turned down due to a prior commitment.

What did the National Film Awards jury saw on Aadujeevitham

National Awards jury member Pradeep Nair has revealed in a previous interview with the same publication what Ashutosh thought about Aadujeevitham. He said, “Jury Chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker had seen the movie at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the film’s adaptation and execution. Gowariker and others also felt the adaptation lacked naturality and the performances didn’t feel authentic.”

Pradeep confirmed that the film was in contention for the National Awards but that it missed out during final discussions. He also claimed that the producers did not provide ‘proper English translation’ for the lyrics, explaining why it lost in the Best Male Playback Singer and Best Lyrics categories. He also claimed that KR Gokul’s performance was ‘widely appreciated’ by the jury, but he didn’t receive an award due to the ‘overall quality’ of the film.